Of Snakes and Lions
by Sutiibun Raitobi
Summary: Harry Potter turned out a little differently than he was portrayed in the books. The abuse was a little more implied, and so Harry developed traits to ensure his survival, and to secure his own future. Meet a boy-who-lived who has more hopes for the future than in canon.


Of Snakes and Lions

A/N: Hey guys! Trying my hand at HP fanfiction now. Don't worry, not abandoning the Blazing Leaf for this, I have started plotting the next chapter and you should see it with in a couple of weeks. I apologize for the long silence, but I've been extremely busy these past several months. I'll try to update each of these stories at least once a month though. Please let me know what you guys thing of the first chapter of "Of Snakes and Lions"!

Chapter One: The Sorting

September 1st 1991:

"Hmm," said a voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very Difficult." The hat that was draped over his head kept Harry from seeing the hopeful faces of the students. "Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes-and a thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"

Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought 'Just put me where I'll do best.'

Harry wouldn't know it for years to come, but just him saying that would change the course of time, and possibly change fate itself.

"Well if that's all you have to say about that... Better be.. SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted out to the great hall of Hogwarts. The entire hall was deathly quiet, you could drop a pin and hear it from across the way.

July 31st 1991:

Harry was still in a right shock of it all as he walked with the giant of a man that had introduced himself as Hagrid. The man had told Harry earlier this morning in the brick house his Uncle Vernon had hid him and his relatives in. His Uncle had been running from these letters being delivered by owl, addressed to Harry, only for Hagrid to come and deliver it personally to him as the clock struck twelve and marked the start of his Birthday, the 31st of July.

Now, they were walking side by side after being swarmed at an inn called 'The Leaky Cauldron'. After that, Hagrid had led them to the back alley, and tapped the brick wall with a pink umbrella. A world Harry never expected to find was revealed after the bricks magically started to open an archway. This wasn't the only magic he had seen Hagrid perform this day, heck, he had given his fat cousin Dudley a pigs tail after he caught him eating Harry's birthday cake that he made for him.

It was all a bit much to take in. "So Hagrid, you really weren't kidding when you said I was a wizard then?" Harry asked the man. Hagrid just chuckled as he looked down at his temporary ward. "No 'Arry, I wasn't. You as magical as 'ey come, I assure you 'at." he replied with what Harry thought was a kind smile hidden behind his unruly beard. "We best be get 'in a move on though lad, got ter get ta Gringott's bank still and get ye some coin for your supplies." Hagrid continued.

"Oh, will I be using a school fund for orphans or something to get my supplies then? I imagine I'll have to get some second hand things then?" Harry asked, excited about the prospect of possibly getting wizarding clothes that actually fit, yet hiding his excitement from the man. One thing he learned at the Dursley's was to never show emotion when it could be avoided. They also didnt like him asking questions, but he was away from them now, and he knew that Hagrid was there from the school to answer his questions about it.

"Na why would ya need tha 'Arry? No, you'll be us'in yer own account to pay fer things, yer a Potter after all." Hagrid replied with some confusion. Harry was the one that was really confused though. "But Hargid, what does being a Potter have to do with anything?"

"Blimey Harry, damn muggles!" Hagrid bellowed. "Sorry I fer got. Your da came from a very rich, old pure-blooded family. Your tha last of yer line now, so all of the Potter wealth belongs to you, ye don't have to be worrying about gold anytime soon I'm sure." Now this surprised Harry immensely.

"My parents were rich?" he asked quietly. 'Then why did the Dursley's always say that my parents were worthless drunks and lowlifes?" Hagrid seemed to growl at that.

"'Onestly, Lily and James Potter being lowlifes. They were some of the best magicals to come out Hogwarts in ages! Head Boy and Girl at 'Ogwarts during their final year. If they had survived the war they would have high ranking jobs in the Ministry o Magic, 'Arry." was the large mans loud reply. "Yer parents were good folk, and at this point, ye should throw out everythin in yer head them nasty muggles ever told ye."

Harry was all to happy to nod his head in agreement. Hagrid seemed mighty upset about the Dursleys. 'If only he knew how they treated me over the entire course of my life.' Harry thought darkly. He knew the way he was treated was not normal by any means, but even now Hagrid seemed furious with the way a wizard was treated by his muggle relatives. It seemed the Dursleys were a rare occurrence when it came to magical children in a non-magical home.

The duo continued their walk down the Diagon Alley, with Harry taking in all the magical shops for the first time in silence. Coming up ahead he could see a massive white Marble building coming into view. "Tha there 'Arry is our next stop. Gringotts wizard's bank." Hagrid announced when he caught the boy gazing in wonderment. "Comon, let's get you all figured out."

they made their way up the steps and where about to make their way past the guards that seemed to be some almost reptilian like men with pointy ears covered in armor when harry saw a sign that said:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits a sin of greed

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn,

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

Hagrid smiled at harry taking in the poem. "Safest place in the world, Gringott's 'Arry. It's owned by these goblins see, yer be mad te try and rob em." He said while gesturing with his head the two unmoving now identified as goblin guards.

They continued on into the bank after that, and it was a flurry of people dealing with more goblins at these giant desks. Harry just followed Hagrid to what he assumed was a bank teller. When the teller noticed them, he greeted them with a toothy snarl. "What business do you have here?" the goblin asked.

Hagrid spoke for them. "I am escorted Mister Potter here to make a withdrawal from his trust fund. I ave the key ere." Hagrid said handing over a tiny gold key to the goblin. "I also have a letter here from Professor Dumbledore. It's about ye know what, in vault e know which." he finished after fishing a letter out of his pockets and whispered the last bit.

The goblin seemed very surprised as he read the letter over. He eventually got over his shock. "Very well, GRIPHOOK!" he shouted. "Griphook will escort you to the proper vaults, may your gold ever flow."

"Thank ye, and may ye grow richer." Hagrid replied. "Let's go 'Arry."

After getting out of the bank, Harry didn't know what to think. His supposed trust fund had been filled with a ridiculous amount of gold. 'If that is just my trust fund, i wonder how much is in the Potter vault?' he asked himself. He and Hagrid were walking back down the alley towards 'The Leaky Cauldron'. The large man needed a drink after riding on the Gringott's carts.

When they reached a store called 'Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions' Hagrid stopped them and gave Harry his school supply list. "All right 'Arry, why don't you run on in there and get yer school robes and anything else ye might need and I'll run on over teh the pub and have me a pick me up. Just come and grab me if i ain't done before ye finish, kay?" Hagrid asked at the conclusion of his instructions for Harry.

Harry just nodded in acceptance and made his way into the shop. Inside the store seemed huge, with all different sorts of thread and material hung up between racks, as well as already made robes hanging on display like he had seen other wizards and witches wearing. A lady who he assumed was Madam Malkin came and greeted him after hearing the front doors bell when he entered. "Hello dear, Hogwarts i presume?" she asked to which he nodded. "All right then, follow me and hope up on this platform here, I'll get started with you once i finish with one of your classmates here." she told him with a smile and led him to a blonde boy about his age that was also getting fitted for robes.

The blonde boy looked over at harry in his baggy clothes and seemed a bit confused. He ended up asking Harry a question anyways though. "Hogwarts for you as well then?" the blonde asked.

"Yes, first year for me, you?" Harry asked.

"It will be first year for me as well. Do you know what house you'll be sorted into?"

"House?" Harry asked

"Yeah, you know, which Hogwarts house you will be assigned to?" the Blonde prodded.

"Sorry, the man from the school that was introducing me to the alley hasn't gotten around to telling me much about the school yet." Harry replied quietly.

"Oh, wait, where are your parents, why aren't they with you?"

"Because they are dead." harry replied simply. This seemed to catch the blonde boy off balance, and he didn't know what to say after that. Eventually he worked up the nerve to ask something else.

"Well, they were our kind, weren't they?" the boy asked Harry.

"If you mean to ask if they were a witch and a wizard, then yes, they were. I've been told they died in the war when I was a baby, I only found out about being a wizard this morning honestly." Harry admitted, wondering if he should have or not.

The boy seemed to have a look of understanding on his face now. "Oh, I see, that makes sense then. But wait, how come you don't know anything about the wizarding world?"

"Well, I was raised by my mother's relatives. I've been told my father was the one that came from a magical only family and that my mother was a first generation witch." Harry responded.

"Oh, so you're a half-blood then. well that isn't the worst you could be I guess, you could be a mud...muggleborn like your mother had been." The boy said, catching himself saying some other word than muggleborn.

Hagrid had already covered the derogatory term for people like his mother when they were down in Gringott's. He raised his eyebrows at the boy and asked slowly. "Were you going to call my mother a mudblood?" and took amusement as he watched the boy squirm a little bit.

"Umm. Yes, sorry. It's a bit of a habit, my father uses the word liberally when he rants about his dealings with them sometimes. My father is mostly into the old ways, as he should, it is our heritage after all, but he doesn't think kindly of muggleborns no. He is currently looking at brooms, and my mother is off looking at wands for ones she thinks might match me when i go there." the boy explained. "I've realized I've been a bit of a prat and didn't introduce myself though. My name is Draco Malfoy, and you?" the newly introduced Draco asked as he held out his hand for a shake.

Harry slowly took the offered hand and decided why not, he may have been mugged nearly entering 'The Leaky Cauldron' but there was barely anyone in the robe shop. "Nice to meet you Draco, my name is Harry Potter." he said, and got the expected reaction from the lady measuring him for robes, as well as from Draco. They both gasped and stared at him.

Draco seemed to recover first. "Are.. Are you really him?" he asked quietly.

Harry just nodded, and reached to his hairline and pulled it back, displaying the supposedly famous lightning shaped scar on his forehead. "Hagrid informed me of my fame while we were in Gringott's getting money from my trust vault." Harry explained. "I would appreciate it if you two wouldn't gawk. He added after looking down and seeing madam Malkin staring up at him.

She seemed to come out of her daze and continued on with what she was doing. "Right, sorry about that Mister Potter, I have your measurements now, would it just be a normal Hogwarts kit for you today?" She asked.

Harry thought about it. He didn't have any nice wizarding robes for being out and about, and he noticed all the nasty stares he had received for dressing like a muggle in his cousins hand-me-downs.

"Could I also have three sets of every day robes, in green, black, and blue please?" he asked the lady.

She smiled in return. "Of course dear, I will start getting everything finished up and brought to the front."

She left to go and finish off both of the boys orders, and to get away from the slightly awkward situation of being star struck by an eleven year old boy.

When she was gone, Harry turned back towards Draco. "So, you mentioned the houses of Hogwarts?" Harry drawled, trying to ease the tension. This seemed to have the desired effect of distracting Draco enough over the fact that he was talking to Harry Potter of all people.

"Umm, Yes! the houses. There are four of them. In my opinion, Slytherin house is the best. My family has been in there for generations. Slytherin is all about having ambition, cunning, and the intelligence to make your ambitions become reality. By far the best. A close second would be Ravenclaw i guess. hey are kinda like bookworms, caring mostly about school work and reading all the time. Then you have Hufflepuff, which my father says all of the riff-raff goes to, and no one really promising in our world ever comes out of there. Then there are the Gryffindors. They are supposed to be about bravery and chivalry and all that, but I hear they are just a bunch of show offs and braggarts." Draco explained. "Like I said, I hope I end up in Slytherin, my god-father is the head of house there as well, so I guess I might be biased." he admitted.

"Well, I don't see anything bad about wanting your ambitions to come true." Harry offered. As he said this he noticed that Hagrid was knocking on the window behind him and was trying to grab his attention. "Oh, there is Hagrid, he is the one showing me around by order of Professor Dumbledore I believe." he said as he made his way towards the cash register to pay for his robes. "It was nice meeting you Draco, I'll see you at school, yeah?" Harry said over his shoulder as he left the other boy on the platform.

"Right! hopefully we both end up in Slytherin!" Draco called back with a small grin.

Harry had changed into his new green robe with his black school slacks on underneath, as well as a new white button up shirt and was glad that he didn't stand out in the crowd of wizards anymore. He and Hagrid had spent the day shopping, and were making their way to 'Ollivander's' to get Harry his wand.

Hagrid wouldn't be able to fit through the door to the shop, so he bid Harry a short goodbye and probably went back to the pub for a drink.

Upon entering the wand shop, Harry found the place empty until a man came out of nowhere and greeted him. "I wondered when I would be seeing you, Mister Potter" the man said with a small smile.

The man took a moment to take Harry in before he waved his wand and a tape measure began taking Harrying measurements on it's own.

"It seems only yesterday when your Mother and Father were in here buying their first wants." the man said idly while he browsed his many shelves, thinking to himself.

"Your mother, 10 and 1/4 inches long, willow, and unicorn tail hair. A wand great for charms work. Now your father, he preferred a wand good for transfiguration. 11 inches, Mahogany, with a dragon heart string for its core." The man said as he seemed to be looking for a wand for Harry.

"What do you mean he 'preferred' sir?" Harry asked, noting the disapproving tone the man had talked about his father's wand.

"Well you see young Mister Potter, the wand chooses the wizard." Ollivander replied as he returned to Harry with a long thin box. He opened it up and took out a thin stick and handed the side with a handle to Harry. "Here you are, give that a wave now." the man instructed.

Harry did so, and instantly a vase off to the side exploded and the wand was taken from Harry's hand quickly.

"No no, definitely not. Not to worry Mister Potter, we will get you sorted soon enough." the man said.

Little did he know they were both in for a long trial and error. It seemed that Harry had tried every wand Mr. Ollivander owned before the man had a curious look on his face. "I wonder." he mumbled before fleeing to the back of his store. He eventually came back with another wand and handed it to Harry. "Here, try this one." he said.

The instant the wand entered Harry's hand, he felt an immediate warmth, and a torrent of air whisped about the room before green and gold sparks shot out of his wand.

"Curious, very curious." Ollivander said to himself while he stared at the wand.

"I'm sorry sir, but what is so curious?" Harry asked confused.

"I remember every wand I have ever sold , and it just so happens that the wand that chose you is 11 and 3/4 inches, holly, with the single tail feather of a phoenix. A Phoenix who gave another, just one other. It is curious that this wand should chose you, when it's brother, gave you that scar." the man explained.

"I think it goes without question that we can expect great things from you , after all, He-who-must-not-be-named did great things. TERRIBLE. But great nonetheless." Ollivander continued.

Now Harry was truly uncomfortable. "Well, thank you sir, how much for the wand?" he asked, trying to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Hmm, Seven galleons for the wand, would you also be interested in a wrist holster? It is one extra galleon but they prevent you from misplacing your wand of course."

"Um, yes please, a black one if you could." Harry replied. He quickly paid for his items and left the store to go find Hagrid. Luckily for him the man was walking down the street holding a cage with a snowy white owl in it.

"'Arry, there you are, here you go! I realized i hadn't got you yer birthday present yet, and figured what better than an owl now that yer off to school soon!" Hagrid said, smiling to Harry. Harry couldn't help but smile as well at the gesture from the giant man. He had never gotten a birthday present before.

The Dursleys had decided to pretend that he just no longer existed. Any chair with him in it was considered empty. Any room he entered, they pretended like he wasn't there. This was fine with Harry. His life before finding out that he was a wizard had been a horrible one. They had kept the physical abuse to a minimum, not wanting his muggle school to find out about his beatings, but even then they always kept it to somewhere hidden by his hand-me-down clothes.

Now, they were afraid of retaliation from wizards to do anything to him, and he was left with a lot of freedom around the house since they weren't forcing him to do any chores except his own laundry and cooking.

He used all of his extra time reading the course books he had gotten for school. He had always been a quick reader, having to be able to cram his homework in a short amount of time before class as he wasn't afforded time to do it at home. So he had already finished all of his potions book and the recommended supplementary one that went with it explaining all the properties of possible ingredients for his first three years of schooling. He had also dived into his charms and transfiguration texts after being told by Ollivander what his parents were likely good at.

Charms seemed exciting, and Transfiguration seemed amazing, with the possibility of changing one thing into another. He had finished both of those books as well, and had taken a few chapters peaks worth of his other school texts. He read a fair bit of history, and read a good portion of an extra book he got called 'Hogwarts: A History'. It described the founding of the castle, as well as what the four founders were like.

Another thing that he had gotten an extra book about was on wizarding politics, and notable families in Britain. Hagrid had made his father's family sound important and when he talked about them, and he was right. His family was one of the oldest Magical families there were, and were apparently an offshoot of some even older family called the Peverells.

Reading more into his family, and finding out his place in the wizarding world before he got to school just seemed like a good idea. He was flying blind all throughout his day in Diagon Alley, and he hated not knowing what he was up against.

He only had another week before he left for the Hogwarts express, which he was thankful that he had grilled Hagrid for specific instructions on how to get on, or he would have looked like a fool lost at the train station not knowing he had to run through a barrier to end up on the platform.

Harry shook his head thinking fondly of the not so bright of a giant he had made friend with.

Harry was in a compartment alone on the Hogwarts express after successfully getting onto the platform by himself. His Uncle Vernon had looked smug about there not being a Platform 9 3/4 until Harry had walked through a barrier and supposedly disappeared right before his eyes.

He couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the man turning a different color after witnessing that.

He was drawn from his musings when a red-headed boy dressed in hand-me-down clothes that at least fit him popped his head into the compartment.

"Hello, do you mind, most everywhere else is full." the red-head asked.

Harry just noncommittally shrugged in reply to the boy. He was starting where he left off on 'Hogwarts:A History' and truthfully didn't mind the company as long as it didn't get too loud.

"Thanks." the red-head mumbled as he put his truck away and took a seat across from Harry. They sat in silence for what felt like an hour before the red-head grew too bored and tried to make conversation.

"Umm, I'm Ron Weasley, by the way, and you are?" the by asked. Harry slowly looked up from his book and contemplated the benefits of responding.

'Well, he will know who I am soon enough anyways.' he thought. "Nice to meet you Ron, I'm Harry Potter." he said. He watched as Ron's jaw went slack and his eyes went wide.

"Are you really? Do you h-have the s-scar?" Ron asked in a hushed whisper. Harry just raised his eyebrows and pulled his bangs out of the way. Ron gawked until Harry replaced the hairs. "Yes, I do, and I would prefer it if you didn't stare. It isn't that interesting anyhow." Harry commented, which seemed to shake Ron out of his stupor.

"R-right, well anyways, are you excited to start at Hogwarts? My brothers have told me all about it, I'm the sixth of us to go." Ron said in response.

"I certainly am, I was muggle-raised, and all of the books I've read on magic so far are fascinating. I can't wait to start learning spells and magical theory." Harry admitted to the boy. "I can't decide if I will like Transfiguration, Charms, or Potions the best out of all of the first year subjects, what about you?"

"I didn't know you were muggle-raised, what was that like? And I'm not that excited about schoolwork in general honestly." Ron said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Being raised by muggles was dreadful honestly, but I assume that was just my family, I'm sure muggleborns may have had a better experience than I did." Harry replied.

"Oh, well, you're not stuck with them now at least. Do you know what house you will get into from the sorting? My whole family has been in Gryffindor so I'd like to go there."

"I honestly don't know. I guess anywhere but Hufflepuff, I've read a good amount about Hogwarts and I know I'm not the very trusting type, I wouldn't fit in there." Harry explained, to which Ron seemed surprised.

"You mean you would be OK with being a slimy Slytherin snake after You-Know-Who came out of that house!?" Ron damn near shouted.

Harry raised his eyebrows at the outburst. He didn't think someone would be this worked up over a school house of all things. "What does Voldemort being in Slytherin have anything to do with me possibly being OK with getting sorted there? It's just a silly school house."

"No, that house is filled with nothing but miniature Death Eaters, they would love to get their hands on you and curse you." Ron explained in earnest.

Harry just laughed at that. "I seriously doubt that Ron, it's just a school, I read about the house rivalries but I didn't think it would be this bad."

"But they are all evil, they are dark wizards in training I tell you!" was Ron's reply.

"I highly doubt that Ron. Just because a dark lord came out of that house doesn't mean everyone from it is dark. Besides, I looked up my dad's side of the family, apparently my grandmother was in Slytherin, so she couldn't have been too bad if my Gryffindor grandfather married her, right?" Harry pressed his point a little harder at the end. He wouldn't have anyone badmouthing his family in front of him.

Ron seemed completely surprised by that bit of info and seemed like he didn't know what to say in reply. Harry took pity on the boy and changed the subject. "Being wizard raised, do you know how to perform any spells yet?" Harry asked.

"Umm, Fred and George, my brothers they did tell me about one." Ron said as he pulled a large rat out of his jacket pocket really quick. "This is my rat, Scabbers, they taught me one to change his fur yellow."

This caught Harry's attention. "well, lets see it then." He encouraged, eager to see some more magic.

Ron cleared his throat as he took an old wand out and got ready to chant a spell when their compartment door opened up. A girl with bushy brown hair was poking her head in. She was already in her school robes. 'She is kind of cute.' Harry thought to himself as she started asking them a question.

"Sorry to bother you both, but have either of you seen a toad? Neville's lost one." she asked before she noticed that Ron's wand was out. "Oh, are you doing magic!? Well go on then." she urged.

"Umm, ok." was Ron's reply and he cleared his throat again before chanting "Sunshine daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" A light came from the wand but nothing appeared to happen to Scabbers.

The bushy haired girl didn't seem at all impressed. "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well it isn't a very good one then is it?" She said after Ron replied with a shrug.

"Well think you can do better!?" Ron asked her heatedly.

"Well I have tried a few spells of my own." she replied and noticed that Harry's glasses were being held together by tape. "Do you mind?" she asked him as she pulled out her wand.

Harry wasn't sure what she had in mind, but handed her his glasses really quick. "Go ahead then." he told her.

"Thank you, this is a simple repairing charm I read about. Reparo!" she said, and the next thing they all knew, the tape on the glasses disappeared,and they looked as good as new when she handed them back to Harry.

"Thanks, I read about that spell as well but I hadn't thought to try it out yet, I assumed the Ministry would charge me for underage magic if I had before getting to Hogwarts?" He said to her with a questioning tone.

"Oh! First years have a small exception to that rule, they are allowed to try out their wands and spell books before beginning their schooling. Didn't the professor tell you about that when they came to inform your family? Or were you wizard raised and is it different for you guys?" she asked them uncertainly.

"Umm, I was raised by my muggle aunt and uncle. The school didn't send a teacher to inform me but they did send someone from the school staff, I guess it slipped his mind to let me know that bit of information." Harry replied.

"Wizarding raised kids are probably just assumed to know they can practice before first year. I'm assuming my mother didn't tell me, shes a bit of a roosting hen that one." Ron admitted.

Hermione seemed about to say something but then realized she hadn't introduced herself yet. "I'm sorry, silly me, we have been talking all this time and I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?" she asked them with a dimply smile.

"Uh, Ron Weasley" was all Ron said and got just a nod in return.

"Pleasure to meet you Hermione, my name is Harry Potter." Harry introduced himself.

To this Hermione's eyes went wide. "Are you really? I've read all about you. You're in a few books you know?"

"Hmm, yes, I browsed a couple of them when I was told I was a wizard. I can tell you that the ones I read are definitely not accurate depictions of my life." he responded with a bit of a grimace.

"Oh well that's just awful. I hate it when books aren't factually accurate, it is such a let down." Hermione whined.

Harry chuckled at that a little due to the nature of some of the books that he read. "I think I completely agree Hermione."

"Well, I better get going and keep looking for Neville's toad, we will be at school soon, you guys should change into your robes." Hermione said as she left the compartment.

When she was gone, Ron turned to Harry. "That one was a bit much, wasn't she? Going off on me about my spell and then showing off?"

"Hmm? I didn't think she was that bad, and she did fix my glasses for me after all." Harry pointed out.

The train ride was soon over with, and the first years were rounded up by Hagrid at the train station. They ended up taking boats across the black lake and were received by Professor McGonagal, a Scottish woman who wore her hair in a tight bun and seemed like someone you did not want to cross.

She gave them the welcoming spiel about the four houses and what each represents and how your house would be your family for the next seven years. After that they were quickly herded into the great hall and Harry saw that they would be getting sorted by a magical hat of all things.

He barely paid attention throughout the sorting except when he saw that Hermione girl go into Gryffindor, and then the boy he met named Draco go into Slytherin just like he said he would.

Before long it was his turn.

"Potter, Harry" Professor McGonagal called out to the hall. It instantly was filled with loud murmurings at all the house tables.

Harry made his way up to the stool where the professor was waiting and sat down. She placed the hat on his head and immediately he could hear a voice inside his head that was not his own.

"Hmm," said a voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very Difficult." The hat that was draped over his head kept Harry from seeing the hopeful faces of the students. "Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes-and a thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"

Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought 'Just put me where I'll do best.'

Harry wouldn't know it for years to come, but just him saying that would change the course of time, and possibly change fate itself.

"Well if that's all you have to say about that... Better be.. SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted out to the great hall of Hogwarts. The entire hall was deathly quiet, you could drop a pin and hear it from across the way.


End file.
